Last week’s Blog entry dealt with the fact that we RVers have the privilege (not the right) to park overnight in some locations, and that privilege is graciously granted by the owners of the property or land where we park.
In many communities we’re losing that privilege. In a large number (but not all) of these cases, local governments are passing laws, ordinances or regulations that take away the Overnight RV Parking privilege because of the selfish, irresponsible, or even illegal acts of a few RVers who really ought to know better. This isn’t the only cause that leads to local Anti-RV “No Overnight Parking” laws, but it’s a major cause.
It’s my firm belief that we RVers have the future of Overnight RV Parking in our own hands. Our conduct and behavior when parking overnight in cities and towns are observed by local residents. What we do or don’t do can make a difference in whether or not a particular city or town adopts laws or regulations that prevent us from parking overnight in that jurisdiction.
The Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) has developed an “RVers’ Good Neighbor Policy” relating to Overnight RV Parking. It makes recommendations – good ones, in my opinion – regarding what RVers should and shouldn’t do when parking overnight. There are eight points on their list. Here they are with my comments:
1. Stay one night only!
In almost every case, I agree. There are a few Wal-Marts and other retailers who will readily grant permission to stay longer. In many small-town parks with RV facilities, the limit is longer, as it is with boondocking on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land.
2. Obtain permission from a qualified individual.
If you’re at a business, definitely get permission. Don’t assume that just because there’s already an RV in the parking lot, that RVer asked and received permission to park overnight.
3. Obey posted regulations.
I can think of one exception: In a few cases, “No Overnight Parking” signage is posted in a parking lot so that the store or local police have a legal basis for evicting problem RVers, but they’re glad to have “good citizen” RVers park overnight. You don’t know for sure until you ask permission, so ask anyway.
4. No awnings, chairs, or barbecue grills.
We’re parking, not camping, so awnings should stay furled and lawn furniture and BBQ’s should remain stowed. There’s more on this in the Blog from March 3.
5. Do not use hydraulic jacks on soft surfaces (including asphalt).
Leveling jacks (hydraulic or otherwise) can leave indentations in soft surfaces, including asphalt. It’s best not to use levelers at all. If you must use them, then place a large protective pad under them to prevent parking lot surface damage, including indentations. The parking lot owner is your host. You don’t’ want to leave dents in the parking lot any more than you’d go to a friend’s home for dinner and then put dents in the floor.
6. Always leave an area cleaner than you found it.
Always a good policy.
7. Purchase gas, food, or supplies as a form of thank you, when feasible.
This is one reason that Wal-Mart Stores (and especially Wal-Mart SuperCenters) are such popular overnighting locations. You can stock up on just about anything you need, including fuel at many of them. This is why many RVers say that “free parking at Wal-Mart isn’t really free.” In addition, many RVers consciously try to spend money in cities and towns that allow Overnight RV Parking, and not spend money in cities and towns that have banned it.
8. Be safe! Always be aware of your surroundings and leave if you feel unsafe.
This one is just good common sense. If you’re uneasy about the surroundings, including people, as they relate to your personal safety, move on to another location. Even if you have to pay for a campground for that night, it’s better than risking robbery or a personal attack.
The FMCA “Good Neighbor Policy” has also been adopted and/or endorsed by a number of other RV-related companies and organizations including the Escapees RV Club, Bounders United, Gulfstreamers International RV Club, Wally Byam Caravan Club, Born Free Leapin’ Lions RV Club and others. A copy of this policy is available in Adobe PDF format on the FMCA website. (Click Here) I encourage you to keep at least one copy in your RV for your own use. Many RVers also like to print out additional copies to share with other RVers whenever the time seems appropriate.
The FMCA “Good Neighbor” Policy has one glaring omission: They don’t address dumping of gray and black water tanks, or RVs that are leaking gray or black water from their waste holding systems. It should go without saying that we should never dump our waste tanks anyplace but in a designated RV dump station. It’s unsanitary, it endangers the environment, and it’s just plain illegal. Those who dump their waste tanks in parking lots or down storm sewers are breaking the law, and they should pay the penalty for it. Leaking waste holding systems cause the same problems and in many places is just as illegal. They should repaired immediately, and the RV shouldn’t be used until the repairs are completed.
Some of the above subjects will apply more strongly in some locations than in others. We’ll come back to them again and again as we delve further into the topic of Overnight RV Parking.
Safe travels to you!
Jim O’Briant
Gilroy, CA
Moderator, OvernightRVParking Yahoo Group
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Kay
Has Good Sam actually adopted this policy? Many other clubs have. This is from an old copy that I have from a few years ago:
“Signed: Escapees RV Club, Family Motor Coach Association, Born Free Leap’N Lions RV Club, Wally Byam Caravan Club International, Gulf Streamers International Recreational Vehicle Club, and LoW” I believe that Bounders United has also since adopted it.
I am a member of Good Sam, but couldn’t locate this kind of information on their website and I don’t recall seeing it in their monthly magazine. There is plenty of information about RV parking at Good Sam, but it seems to concentrate more on whether you can park your boat or RV in your yard or in front of your house.
Perhaps you can post a link to the spot on the Good Sam website where the Good Neighbor policy is posted?
John Ciemnieski
How nice of FMCA to come out with this advice. Let’s see; I’m really a novice at this RVing thing, just 11 years. But in the meantime I seem to remember the Good Sam club advocating this policy ever since I’ve been on the road. It’s so nice to see another fine RV association joining this long standing common sense practice of the road. I’m sure you just forgot to add the Good Sam Club to your list of adoptees Mr O’Briant. But then again, you may have just had a Senior Moment.
Jim O'Briant
Dave brings up oft-discussed questions with regard to “blacktop boondocking” and slideouts. It’s a multi-faceted issue. What do you do when certain areas of a motor home or trailer aren’t accessible without extending slides?
If you’re like most RVers, you don’t think of this when purchasing your first or second RV; it becomes a consideration only after a few years of RVing experience. The manufacturers and dealers certainly don’t point out that “this is very spacious with the slides out, but if the slides are in, you won’t be able to get into the bathroom….”
In the case of our Bounder, we can get to the bathroom, but we have to crawl over the bed to get to the bedroom closet, and part of the bed slides under the closet, making the useable part of the bed too short for two people to sleep side by side. (I’ll give you three guesses as to who gets to sleep on the sofa!)
The variety and diversity of Overnight RV Parking locations make it difficult to set down a “hard and fast rule” about slides.
If you’re in a rest area, where overnight camping is virtually always prohibited even in states where overnight parking is allowed, law enforcement personnel may interpret the use of a slide as “camping” and give you a ticket. I’d strongly recommend no slides in rest areas.
Many RVs require that levelers be used before extending slide-outs. If your RV is one of these (as ours is), then when you’re in a Wal-Mart, Cracker Barrel or Flying J parking lot, there are TWO things to consider. One is protecting the surface of the lot (almost always asphalt) from damage, and the other is the traffic and/or safety hazard presented by an extended slide. You don’t want to extend your slide into an adjacent parking place — because you don’t want to deny another RVer or customer a place to park — and you don’t want to extend it into a traffic lane, because you don’t want anyone to run into it.
On the other hand, many Wal-Marts and some Cracker Barrels will ask that you park along the edge of the parking lot. This may enable you to parallel park next to the curb, place pads under your levelers, and extend the slide over the curb and adjacent grass. (If that area of the lot happens to be concrete rather than asphalt, the damage issue goes away, too.) When you ask permission to park, explain your situation and ask if there’s a suitable parking place along the edge of the lot. Often there will be. You may want to call ahead for permission, and if there isn’t a suitable parking place for your situation, consider an alternate location for the night.
If you’re parking overnight at a casino, you’ll find that the rules are as varied as the casinos themselves. Some allow parking for one night only, with no slides or levelers. Others allow several nights of dry camping, including slides, awnings, lawn chairs and BBQ grilles. Most fall somewhere in between. Mac McClellan, who writes the Casino Camping blogs here, also runs the http://www.casinocamper.com website where there’s a lot of detailed information about many casinos.
If you’re overnighting in a small town municipal campground, the rules will also vary (as will the width of the RV spaces. Because it’s a campground (even if free or only a few dollars for the night), parking lot rule don’t generally apply, but many of these campgrounds are older, with narrower spaces designed in the pre-slideout days.
If you’re overnighting on public lands, such as BLM or USFS (Bureau of Land Management or US Forest Service) open lands, levelers and slideouts won’t be an issue, except that you won’t want to put down slideouts where they’ll be mired in mud.
I sure wish there were a simple “yes or no” answer to the issue that Dave raises, but there isn’t. There’s a lot to think about when it comes to Overnight RV Parking, slideouts and levelers, if your rig requires them for use of slideouts. With a rig that’s partly inaccessible with the slides in, it takes more advance planning and more thought, so that when you select, get permission and use an overnight parking location you’re able to do it so as to protect the property and safety of the business, its customers, and other RVers.
Jim O’Briant
Dave Cadoret
I have a question about the Good Neighbor Policy. It says nothing about slideouts, although I get the impression from other postings I’ve seen that we are not supposed to extend them while parking overnight.
The problem with this is that, on my tow trailer at least, I literally cannot get from the front entrance to the bedroom in the rear of the trailer unless the slideout is extended (to the side). Also, the bathroom door will not open far enough for a human being to go in and use it unless the slideout is extended, because the dining booth is almost flush up against it.
If the idea is to be ready to jump in your tow vehicle and go at a moment’s notice, it takes about half a minute to bring the slideout in if necessary, by flipping a switch by the front door. However, if I the rule is that the slideout should never be extended under any circumstances, then I guess I’ll just have to resign myself to always using campgrounds and never parking overnight at Walmarts, etc.
My wife and I are very new at all of this. We’ve had our trailer less than a year and are getting ready to take our first fairly long trip in April, when use of the parking privilege would be a wonderful thing while going across the country. We don’t want to get in trouble over this issue, but we really do need to extend the slideout in order to make overnight parking at all practical.